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The NSW Premier’s Literary Awards: what is it, and who’s won it?

Much like its state counterparts, the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards are one of the richest literary awards administered in Australia.

Presented by the NSW Government, the State Library of NSW, in partnership with the University of Technology Sydney, Create NSW, and Multicultural NSW,  the NSW Premier’s Literary Award was established in 1979 and is the longest-running, state-based literary award in Australia.

Across the country, the State Premiers’ Literary Awards are a set of uniquely Australian literary prizes that are awarded to citizens or permanent residents, by either the Government of New South Wales, Victoria, or Queensland.

Ellen Van Neervan
Ellen Van Neervan, winner of the 2021 Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry (Photo: UQP)

Inaugurated by then-Premier Neville Wran, the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards were described in his words as: “Want[ing] the arts to [be taking], and be seen to [be taking], their proper place in our social priorities. If governments treat writers and artists with respect and understanding, the community will be more likely to do the same.”

With 14 categories, the NSW Premier’s Awards cover a diverse range of genres and celebrate the immeasurable impact that literature can have on an individual, community, and country.

As Neil Armfield expressed in his 2006 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Address: “The glory of literature is its subtlety, complexity, and infinite possibility of meaning.…[L]iterature enacts the multi-faceted experience of life itself. It provides mirrors, dreams, contemplations on our fear, our sorrow, our desire. Through the uniquely human experience of empathy, we rehearse the great lessons of our life.” 

Recent Premiers have also asserted the importance of the awards, with former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian saying: “For more than four decades, the Premier’s Literary Awards in NSW have given vital support and encouragement to our literary culture. After more than a year of COVID-19, we could all use an added dose of inspiration during these challenging times,” during the announcement of the 2021 short-list.

Below, we’ve summarised some of the biggest prizes that the Awards have to offer.

Christina Stead Prize for Fiction

Celebrating Australian novelist Christina Stead (1903-1982), the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction is valued at $40,000 and is presented to a book of fiction.

Notable winners include inaugural awardee David Malouf (1979, An Imaginary Life), three-time awardee Michelle de Kretser (2008, The Lost Dog; 2014, Questions of Travel; 2019, The Life to Come), who ties the record with writer Peter Carey (1980, War Crimes; 1982, Bliss; 2007, Theft: A Love Story).

Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction

Honouring Australian poet and essayist Douglas Stewart (1913-1985), the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction is valued at $40,000 and is awarded to a prose work other than a work of fiction.

Notable winners include A.B. Facey (1981, A Fortunate Life), three-time awardee Druisilla Modjeska (1991, Poppy; 1995, The Orchard; 2000, Stravinsky’s Lunch) and Chloe Hooper (2009; The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island).

Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature

Celebrating children’s author Ethel Turner (1870-1958), the Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature is awarded for the best secondary school children’s book across fiction, non-fiction, and poetry genres.

Notable winners include Patricia Wrightson (1979, The Dark Bright Water), three-time awardee Ursula Dubosarsky (19994, The White Guinea Pig; 2006;  Theodora’s Gift; 2007, The Red Shoe), who ties for most wins with Jaclyn Moriarty (2001; Feeling Sorry for Celia; 2013, A Corner of White; 2015, The Cracks in the Kingdom).

Indigenous Writers’ Prize

Established in 2016, the Indigenous Writers’ Prize is designed to “recognise literary merit in all categories including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, books for children and young adults, plays, and scriptwriting,” and acknowledge the significant contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers to the Australian literary landscape.

Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry

Named for the celebrated Australian WWII war correspondent and poet, Kenneth Slessor (1901-1971), the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry is valued at $30,000 and is awarded for a book of poetry.

Notable winners include three-time awardee Jennifer Maiden (1991, The Winter Baby; 2000, Mines; 2011, Pirate Rain), Anthony Lawrence (1997l The Viewfinder), and Ellen van Neervan (2021, Throat).

Multicultural NSW Award

Created in 1980 and originally known as the Ethnic Affairs Commission (and later, the Community Relations Commission Award), the NSW Multicultural Award is awarded for a work of any genre that is “deemed by the judges to have made a significant contribution to Australian literature, poetry, theatre, film, radio or television; and also considers: any aspect of the Australian migration experience; and/or
aspects of cultural diversity and multiculturalism in Australian society.”

NSW Premier’s Translation Prize

Awarded biennially to a work of translation in any genre, the NSW Premier’s Translation Prize was proposed by International PEN Sydney Centre and is funded by Multicultural NSW.

It intends to “acknowledge the contribution made to literary culture by Australian translators, and recognizes the vital role that literary translators play in enabling writers and readers to communicate across cultures throughout the world. The prize is offered only to translators who translate into English works written in other languages.”

People’s Choice Award

Voted for by the public of NSW from the shortlist of the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, the People’s Choice Award was established in 2009 to honour the 30th anniversary of the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.